Chrome makes integration with other cloud service providers just that much easier

A small but powerful feature has snuck into the latest Chrome Dev Channel update (v43.0.2357.3) which allows third party cloud service providers (like DropBox, OneDrive and others) to better integrate with ChromeOS. The Files app now sports a new ‘Add new services’ menu option, which opens a window like that shown above, allowing users to select from File System Providers now listed on the Chrome Web Store.

The providers currently include DropBox, Microsoft’s OneDrive, and a generic SFTP file system driver which allows you to mount any remote file system over SFTP (something like what Fuse does for other Linux systems). This is great news for users of those platforms who have been thinking about a switch to ChromeOS, but have hesitated due to a lack of native support for their cloud platform of choice.

With the File System Providers API now live on Chrome, developers have the green light to develop solutions for other cloud platforms as well. Google’s not resting easy, with reports they’re already working on improvements such as allowing users to pin (or save) files offline, a better metaphor for unmounting and remounting cloud providers (rather than the eject button) and improvements to the way files are displayed progressively as they cache.

Chris Rowland Editor and Publisher

Chris has been at the forefront of smartphone reporting in Australia since smartphones were a thing, and has used mobile phones since they came with giant lead-acid batteries that were "transportable" and were carried in a shoulder bag. He saw the transition from AMPS to GSM, loved the Motorola StarTac, and got into Palm technologies in a big way. The arrival some years later of the original iPhone, and then the early Androids, awoke a new interest in mobile technology, and Chris has been writing about it since.

Today, Chris publishes one of Australia's most popular technology websites, Ausdroid. His interests include mobile (of course), as well as connected technology and how it can make all our lives easier.